LA Galaxy Weekly Update: April 26

A new challenge
awaits the LA Galaxy as they host the expansion Philadelphia Union for the
first time in club history on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center. The
Galaxy enter Saturday’s game, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m., with a 4-0-1 record
and the best goal difference in the league at +6. Bruce Arena’s team has
allowed just one goal in five games this season, keeping four clean sheets,
while Edson Buddle is a favorite for the MLS Player of the Month award for
April after scoring all seven of the club’s goals through the first five games
of the year.

The game can be seen
live locally on FS West beginning with the Galaxy Live pregame show at 7
p.m. Additionally, the game can be heard locally in
English on AM 570 and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes Radio 1330 AM. Both
broadcasts start at 7 p.m. with their respective pregame shows.

Donovan Ricketts made a
season-high six saves and kept his fourth clean sheet in five outings this
season as the Galaxy drew the Wizards 0-0 on a cold and wet night in Kansas.
The draw ended the Galaxy’s perfect start to the season, coming on the heels of
four straight wins to open the campaign. LA remains one of two undefeated teams
in MLS and are three points clear of Colorado at the top of the Western
Conference.

Josh McNeely allowed
just one goal and Juan Mendoza scored for the home side as the Galaxy U-16’s
snapped a two-game losing streak with a 1-1 draw at The Home Depot Center. The
draw evens their record on the season in league play to 3-3-3.

Eric Verso scored midway
through the first half and Vince Paldino kept a clean sheet as the Galaxy
U-18’s won their fourth straight game and stretched their unbeaten run to five
games dating back to the end of February.

WINNING STREAK SNAPPED, UNBEATEN
STREAK CONTINUES: While the Galaxy’s four game winning
streak this season (five dating back to the end of the 2009 regular season)
came to an end with the 0-0 draw on Saturday night, the Galaxy remain one of
two MLS teams without a loss this season. The Galaxy are now 4-0-1 for 13
points on the season, leaving them three points ahead of the second place
Colorado Rapids who are 3-1-1 and play at San Jose on Saturday before hosting
the Galaxy on Wednesday, May 5.

Dating back to the end of the 2009
regular season, the Galaxy are unbeaten in their last eight games, going 6-0-2
in that time and taking 20 of a possible 24 points. LA has kept a clean sheet
in seven of those eight games and have not trailed in any of them.

The last time the Galaxy lost was on
September 26, 2009 when they fell 2-0 to the Columbus Crew, who are the only
other undefeated team in the league this season.

FACING OFF FOR THE FIRST TIME: Saturday’s gameagainst the Union will be the
first-ever game between the two sides. Last year, the Galaxy were 0-1-1 against
the expansion Seattle Sounders FC, playing to a 1-1 draw at Qwest Field in May
and losing 2-0 at The Home Depot Center in August.

Since MLS first expanded in 1998,
the Galaxy are 10-5-3 against expansion teams, including a 7-3-0 mark at home.
The Galaxy split their inaugural season series with both expansion teams in
1998, going 2-2 against Chicago and 1-1 against Miami. MLS next expanded in
2005 and LA won both of those series, sweeping Chivas USA with a 4-0-0 record
and going 2-1-1 against Real Salt Lake. The Galaxy also won the season series
with Toronto FC in 2007, tallying a 1-0-1 record against them.

RICKETTS SETS SEASON HIGH: Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts made a season-high six
saves in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Kansas City. Ricketts faced six shots on goal
on the evening, equaling the total that he had faced in LA’s first four games.
Prior to his six save performance against the Wizards, Ricketts had not faced
more than three shots on goal or made more than two saves in a game all season
long.

The 32-year-old Jamaican
international now has a league-best 0.20 goals against average on the season,
having allowed just one goal in five games and keeping four clean sheets. He
has lowered his career GAA from 1.03 to 0.89 and is currently on pace to
shatter all MLS single season goalkeeping records, including Tony Meola’s 2000
record of 16 shutouts and Pat Onstad’s 2007 record of a 0.82 goals against
average.

BERHALTER MAKES 2010 DEBUT: Playing a major role in the Galaxy’s shutout on Saturday was
central defender Gregg Berhalter, who made his 2010 debut, playing the full 90
minutes. Berhalter, who appeared in 26 games during his first season with the
Galaxy in 2009, missed each of the first four games of the season with soreness
in his left knee.

His return allowed Bruce Arena to
move A.J. DeLaGarza back to right back and play Berhalter alongside 2009 MLS
Rookie of the Year Omar Gonzalez in central defense. Those three were joined by
left back Todd Dunivant to round out the back four. That same back four started
16 of the Galaxy’s 30 games last season, with LA going 7-5-4 in those games.

CHRIS BIRCHALL SITS DOWN FOR CUP OF
JOE: Tune-in to the Galaxy's weekly live
web show, Cup of Joe, with radio play-by-play announcer Joe Tutino every week.
On Thursday, Tutino will be interviewing the Galaxy’s Chris Birchall at 12:30
p.m. Birchall has appeared in all five of his club’s games this season and has
been included in Bruce Arena’s starting lineup in each of the last four.

Fans can participate asking by
questions either beforehand or live during the chat. Start submitting questions
for Chris now to socialmedia@lagalaxy.com.

YOUTH
ACADEMY

TWO ON TAP THIS WEEKEND FOR GALAXY
ACADEMY TEAMS: Fresh off a win and a draw against Nomads
SC last weekend, the LA Galaxy Youth Academy teams will be back in action this
weekend with a pair of games. On Saturday, both the U-16’s and the U-18’s will
travel to Concordia University to take on the Irvine Strikers. The U-16’s will
kick-off at 11 a.m. with the U-18’s following at 1 p.m.

The Galaxy will remain in Orange
County the following day when they take on the San Diego Surf with the U-16’s
playing at 1 p.m. and the U-18’s following at 3:15 p.m.

This will be the first
time in more than a month that the Galaxy Academy teams play Development
Academy games on consecutive days. In late March, the U-16’s beat De Anza Force
3-2 before falling to the California Development Academy 3-0 the following day.
The U-18’s also defeated De Anza Force on Saturday, March 27, winning 5-2
before knocking of the California Development Academy 3-0 on Sunday.

GALAXY DREAMERS TO BE ANNOUNCED
SUNDAY: Watch the recap of Sueño MLS
tryouts in LA and the announcement of the five LA Galaxy tryout finalists this
Sunday, May 2 on Univision’s Republica Deportiva, which airs on the West Coast
from noon to 2 p.m.

The five chosen move on to the
finals of Sueño MLS, which will be held in LA from May 5-9 with the overall
winner being announced live on Republica Deportiva on Sunday, May 9.

IN
THE COMMUNITY

GALAXY FOUNDATION SHOT OF THE WEEK: At each LA Galaxy home game, fans are invited to visit the
Galaxy Foundation Booth to place your bid on the Galaxy Foundation's Shot of
the Week presented by MoraPhotography.com. Each photo will be signed by
the player or players featured. All proceeds benefit the Los Angeles Galaxy
Foundation.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY FOUNDATION JOINS
GOODSEARCH: The Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation
has joined GoodSearch, which means that the Galaxy Foundation will earn a
donation every time you search the Internet and receive a percentage of every
purchase you make online through GoodShop.com.

Download the GoodSearch – Los
Angeles Galaxy Foundation toolbar, and the club’s foundation will earn money
every time you shop and search online - even if you forget to go to GoodShop or
GoodSearch first. Add the Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation toolbar at http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/los-angeles-galaxy-foundation.